After leaving the capital we took a taxi to Granada which is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities both economically and politically. It is situated on the northwestern shore of Lake Nicaragua (see map to the right) and was founded by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba on December 8, 1524. It has a rich colonial heritage, seen in its architecture and layout.

Granada was historically the sister capital in Central America to Antigua, Guatemala (which we visited). During the colonial period, Granada maintained a flourishing level of commerce with ports on the Atlantic, through Lake Nicaragua (Cocibolca) and the San Juan River.

As you can see from the pictures we walked all around town (Darcy at the bell tower) and took a tour to the "Masaya Volcano National Park" for a sunset view of the volcano's. After that we explored 2 bat caves and watching the lava flow at night. We need gas masks for that view.

Our favorite restaurant in town was the "Garden Cafe" which had the best food and the best garden in the city. I took a picture of the husband and wife owners.